‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’, the new studio album from American metal legends ICED EARTH, is on-sale today in North America via Century Media Records. The album is now available worldwide, and can be streamed in its entirety on Spotify. ICED EARTH will bring the new album to their North America homeland when their headlining WORLDWIDE PLAGUES TOUR hits our shores April 4 for a six-week run with SABATON and REVAMP in support. See complete tour dates below.

The new album is available in retailers across North America and digitally via Amazon [click here] and in an iTunes deluxe edition [click here] that includes the iTunes-only ‘Lyrical Concepts of ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’ bonus video. Additionally, exclusive ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’ bundles are on-sale now at CM DISTRO. Album and merchandise packages include the following:

ICED EARTH also joined forces with our favorite local record stores to release 500 limited-edition, hand-numbered vinyl “bootleg” copies of ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’ on January 14. This extremely limited “bootleg” pressing of the band’s new album became an instant collector’s item and is available only in record stores in North America. Click here to find your nearest local participating retailer.

In addition to the album streaming in its entirety on Spotify, you can also watch the official “Plagues Of Babylon” lyric video by clicking here, and hear the album track “Among The Living Dead” by clicking here. ICED EARTH have also released a video trailer to preview the album and their upcoming WORLDWIDE PLAGUES headlining tour that can be watched by clicking here.

“This is a seriously heavy album with a seriously brutal album cover,” says Jon Schaffer of ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’. “I’m sure it will go down as a classic in the epic ICED EARTH catalog. We feel that the package with SABATON and REVAMP is very strong and we are very excited to tour the U.S. and Canada again and kick some major ass!”

Exclusive VIP packages for the entire ICED EARTH North American tour are available now at www.enterthevault.com. VIP packages will remain onsale while supplies last.

Beginning with their groundbreaking self-titled debut album, ICED EARTH has remained steadfastly committed to championing heavy metal and continues to be one of America’s greatest classic metal bands. ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’ is no exception. From the sheer power of the title track and neck-breaking thrashers like “Among The Living Dead,” to the haunting “Cthulhu” and the colossal “If I Could See You” and “Spirit Of The Times,” ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’ takes fans on the thundering power trip that has become ICED EARTH’s trademark.

‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’ Track Listing:

1. Plagues Of Babylon

2. Democide

3. The Culling

4. Among The Living Dead

5. Resistance

6. The End?

7. If I Could See You

8. Cthulhu

9. Peacemaker

10. Parasite

11. Spirit Of The Times

12. Highwayman

A few things to know about ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON’:

Songs 1-6 form the ‘PLAGUES OF BABYLON story line, part of the ongoing ‘SOMETHING WICKED’ Universe™

Not only musicians and freelance artists know this phenomenon: it’s impossible to deliver top creative performances at the push of a button. You need peace, leisure, and – most of all – a certain amount of serenity to create truly great works of art. “We used to be under permanent pressure from our record companies,” says Magnum mastermind Tony Clarkin. “They kept calling us, demanding hit singles and radio numbers. But that sort of thing doesn’t work on demand. Now we’re with SPV, where it’s a totally different situation. They give us the necessary time and trust us to do the right thing. That’s probably the reason why I enjoy working with Magnum again.”

Clarkin’s regained joy in his band is omnipresent on the latest Magnum offering, Escape From The Shadow Garden. Just like his simple yet logical work ethos: “I simply told myself: you’re a passable guitarist, so you should play the guitar. As the band’s guitarist and producer, I have all the freedom I need to create exactly what I feel like creating.” The result of his latest burst of creativity consists of eleven wonderfully melodic rock songs, which blend all the typical Magnum ingredients, sounding in a fascinating way both timeless and classic. “This band has certain unmistakable trademarks,”Clarkin explains. “Among them are my feel for melodies and Bob’s unique vocal style.”

Only a month after the release of its predecessor, On The 13th Day, Clarkin started with the preparations for Escape From The Shadow Garden – as always an exciting phase in his life. “Before you haven’t recorded and mixed every single note, you never really know whether you’ll be happy with the result. When I heard the final version of the eleven new songs with their different stories and diverse arrangements, I knew it had turned into an impressive and complete album. Together with the great cover artwork designed by Rodney Matthews (Asia, Nazareth, Eloy), this is a release, which forges an arch to the early days of Magnum’s career. And that’s wonderful! I was really happy when my friend Jimmy Lea of Slade came to visit me at the studio again and said: ‘You’ve done it again?’ It doesn’t matter whether by sheer luck or hard work – life could have gone a totally differently way.”

‘Escape From The Shadow Garden’ will be release on Steamhammer / SPV on March 19th in Scandinavia, March 21st in Germany, March 24th in Europe and April 1st in the US/Canada.

‘Escape From The Shadow Garden’ will be available as a limited digipak edition with bonus DVD, as a double gatefold coloured vinyl LP set incl. bonus track, standard jewel case CD and download.

Former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg returns in a brand new band, Moonkings. Moonkings debut will be released February 24th via Mascot records. There is no official word on a U.S. release date, but judging on the samples below, you may want to seek this release out at importers like Import CDS.com, CD Inzane or Amazon.uk.

Vandenberg’s MoonKings track listing

01. Lust And Lies
02. Close To You
03. Good Thing
04. Breathing
05. Steal Away
06. Line Of Fire
07. Out Of Reach
08. Feel It
09. Leave This Town
10. One Step Behind
11. Leeches
12. Nothing Touches
13. Sailing Ships

Jake E. Lee returning to the hard rock world was one of the greatest pieces of music news in all of 2013. The soon to be released album album from Red Dragon Cartel will be released January 28th. You can check out Red Dragon Cartel’s first video “Deceived” below. Crank it up and enjoy!!

VOLBEAT ANNOUNCES RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA ON HEELS OF BEST METAL PERFORMANCE GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR “ROOM 24″(VOLBEAT FEATURING KING DIAMOND)

Coast-To-Coast Tour Begins April 3 At The Fillmore in Denver, CO

With Trivium and Digital Summer Supporting

Volbeat returns to North America on April 3rd for a tour of the U.S that brings the Danish quartet coast-to-coast. The run begins at The Fillmore in Denver, CO, and will wrap the second week of May on the East Coast with Trivium and Digital Summer supporting.

The band will arrive on North American shores on the heels of their first Grammy Nomination in the Best Metal Performance category for “Room 24” (Volbeat Featuring King Diamond). Alongside this industry honor, Volbeat has become a staple at Active Rock radio, cementing the band’s relevance with five consecutive #1 singles at the format. The most recent “Lola Montez” follows “The Hangman’s Body Count” which held on to the top spot for five weeks, and prior chart toppers “Warrior’s Call,” “Still Counting” and “Heaven Nor Hell.”

In the U.S., Volbeat’s most recent album release via Republic Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies has exceeded 200,000 copies sold, while overseas the title has been certified platinum in their home country of Denmark, Germany and Austria, with gold sales in Finland.

Since forming in Copenhagen in 2000, Volbeat has released five studio albums, and two live offerings that have turned the band into superstars, collecting platinum discs and prestigious awards making them one of the most talked about bands around the world. Volbeat’s fifth album, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, debuted at No. 1 in the band’s home country of Denmark alongside Canada, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Austria. The new release saw a debut at No. 2 in Finland, No. 4 in the Netherlands and Sweden, and No. 9 in The United States. Volbeat is Michael Poulsen (vocals/guitar), Anders Kjølholm (bass) and Jon Larsen (drums), joined by former Anthrax/The Damned Things guitarist Rob Caggiano, who produced the new album with longtime Volbeat co-producer Jacob Hansen.

The upcoming tour marks Volbeat’s fourth visit to North American this album cycle, and follows an excursion as headliners of the Monster Energy Rock Allegiance Tour in August and September, 2013. This past year, the band has been one of the largest touring draws on the European continent headlining both festivals and a arena tour, and they appeared at the major Japanese festival Summer Sonic 2013 in both Tokyo and Osaka. Cumulatively, Volbeat has performed for over a million fans since the current album was released. Confirmed appearances for Spring, 2014 include:

Launched in 2009, Nashville based FnA Records was formed with the goal of serving up the best and rarest unreleased and re-issued hard rock, glam rock and heavy metal from the late 80’s and early 90’s. Now 5 years later and with a catalog of over 100 titles in print, the label’s roster boasts many former major label artists as well as renowned regional favorites.

One of the rare gems you’ll also find on the label is Freight Train Jane featuring Jaime St. James of Black n’ Blue on lead vocals. Two of the members on the release by Vandal went on to become members of the Grammy-nominated band Disturbed. The critically acclaimed Royal Blood album features guitar virtuoso Alex Masi and Rocky Newton of the Michael Schenker Group. You’ll find a just out of high school drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater/Avenge Sevenfold) on the album by The Sweet S.A. Adams Project. Multiple releases by Greg Leon, the original lead guitarist of Dokken and one-time teaching co-hort with Randy Rhoads, are available on FnA Records.

FnA Records has carved its niche in the glam rock market by releasing CDs by many of the most popular acts that infested the Sunset Strip in the late 80s and early 90s. Exclusive and rare studio recordings are available by Alleycat Scratch, Wanted, Queeny Blast Pop, Vaudville, No Sympathy, Fatal Attraction and many others. But all the glitz doesn’t end in Hollywood. The label also offers the best bands from the Chicago, Memphis, New Jersey and New York.scenes. More lipstick and hairspay than you’ll know what to do with and much more to come in 2014.

As FnA Records celebrates its 5th year anniversary, the company shows no signs of slowing down with dozens of new releases and several big announcements scheduled or 2014. The year will start with the much anticipated releases by Freight Train Jane, Theatre, Vandal, Love Razors, Nikki Foxx, Vaudeville, Frenchee, Cristeen and Gibraltar. More details, including logo, photos, bios and catalog, are available at the company’s website.